As I mentioned in last week’s post “Communication Issues,” students are often astute in identifying the “best practices” in our teaching. Their observations provide salient evidence that faculty are frequently the lynchpins that connect students not merely to an individual class but also to the institution itself, to the broader academic community, to choices in career and professional contribution, and sometimes to a passion for a life of the mind. The best practices that define faculty excellence in the classroom are also, in many ways, the same best practices that transform an online classroom.
From our Spring 2010 student survey, conducted by the Center for Distance Learning and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, we can identify certain recurring themes in students who rate their online experience as “excellent.” Once again, communication plays a significant role in students’ reactions.
